Ochoa's striking string continues
Lorena Ochoa shoots 66 on Sunday to overtake the field and win the LPGA Sybase Classic, her sixth consecutive finish of either first or second.
By TIMES WIRES
Published May 22, 2006
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - Lorena Ochoa wasn't on the leaderboard for the first two rounds of the Sybase Classic. When the rain-shortened tournament was over, however, she was right where she has been for the past two months.
Ochoa extended her impressive run with a two-stroke victory Sunday, the sixth straight tournament she has either won or been the runnerup.
Ochoa, 24, closed her 5-under 66 with a 4-foot birdie putt for a 5-under 208 total that earned $195,000 and allowed her to retake the season money lead from Karrie Webb.
"I didn't make any bogeys, and it's a fine round when you don't make any bogeys on a course like this," she said. "We knew the scores wouldn't be too low, and we hung around the first two days and knew we would have a chance to win the tournament. On the back nine we hit a couple close and made the putts and then we were one shot behind and then in the lead."
Ochoa, who won the Takefuji Classic in April and has four seconds and a fourth this season, started the final round four strokes off the lead.
The lead was hers for good when she made a birdie putt from about 20 feet on the par-5 15th, her third birdie in a five-hole stretch. She made par-saving putts on the next two holes and closed her fifth career win with the birdie on the par-5 just as rain began to fall.
The tournament was shortened to 54 holes after heavy rain and a saturated course wiped out all play Friday.
Hee-Won Han, the champion here in 2003, closed with 69 and tied for second with rookie Kyeong Bae, who matched Ochoa's final-round 66.
Tampa's Beth Bauer, who shared the first-round lead with Natalie Gulbis, shot 73 Sunday and finished at 215, two ahead of Gulbis (75). Bauer had missed 14 cuts in a row coming into the event.
Annika Sorenstam, coming off her first missed cut since 2002, was at 3 under before taking a triple-bogey on the par-4 9th. She shot 3-over 74 for a 213 total.
Gloria Park, the 2002 Sybase champion, was the second-round leader at 4 under, but two bogeys and a double-bogey had her even at the turn. She also finished at even par after a 75.
Ochoa has won $1,114,888, and Webb, who took this week off, has won $935,202.
Herron scratches itch
Tim Herron wanted to treat the final round of the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas, as if he were a member playing a Sunday afternoon round.
Though it looked exactly like that at times, the player affectionally known as "Lumpy" won on the PGA Tour for the first time in seven years. He beat Richard Johnson with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff, the first time since 1994 extra holes where needed at Hogan's Alley.
"This winning thing isn't that easy," Herron said after his winning 91/2-foot birdie putt on the 382-yard 17th hole.
It was Herron's first win since Bay Hill in 1999. He gets the winner's plaid jacket and $1.08-million, more than what he got for his three previous wins combined.
Herron (2-under 68) and Johnson (67), who ended regulation tied at 12-under 268, both had long drives on the first playoff hole and had to settle for two-putt pars. They then went to No.17, where after similar drives Johnson's approach was 25 feet short of the hole.
Johnson had birdies on the same two par 4s to finish regulation. He trailed Herron by three strokes after three-putting the 188-yard 16th hole for bogey. But Herron couldn't close it out and had to scramble to stay in the lead.
"I thought I was out of it," Johnson said. "I had no idea what was going on behind me."
Rod Pampling, who won at Bay Hill in March and was in the final group with Herron, had his second straight even-par round since his career-best 63 Friday. He finished alone in third, two strokes back.
Stephen Ames (63), with an incredible comeback after faltering in the third round, and Ben Crane (64) tied for fourth at 271 with Brett Quigley (66), Arron Oberholser (67), Stewart Cink (68), Peter Lonard (70) and Nathan Green (70).
EUROPEAN PGA : The final round of the Irish Open was postponed until today because of constant rain in Maynooth, Ireland. Darren Clarke, at 6 under overall through eight holes Sunday, has a two-stroke lead over Paul Casey, Peter Hedblom and Ross Fisher. Thomas Bjorn and Anthony Wall were another stroke behind at 3 under.
NATIONWIDE TOUR : Matt Kuchar birdied the third playoff hole to defeat Paul Claxton to win the Henrico County Open in Richmond, Va., and his first Nationwide title since 2001. It was Kuchar's first win overall since the PGA Tour's 2002 Honda Classic. Claxton shot a final-round 69 to catch Kuchar's 279 total. They were one ahead of Jason Caron.
ASIAN TOUR : Australian rookie Kane Webber won his first title on tour, firing 1-under 70 at the Macau Open. Webber, 25, finished at 9-under 275, three strokes ahead of countryman Scott Barr, who also shot 70 Sunday. Brad Kennedy of Australia crumbled on the final day as he shot 77 to fall to third with South African Peter Karmis.